If you see the orange bar along the top of the timeline when you first add a clip to your timeline, this indicates that there is a mismatch between your project settings and your video specs -- which could be why are you are seeing reduced quality in your playback.
A yellow line, on the other hand, appears by default in newer versions of the program and will appear even if your video matches your project settings. Only an orange bar along the top of the timeline indicates a need to render in order to see smooth playback.
If you look under the Edit menu in the program, what is listed General page under Project Settings?
Where is your video coming from? A camcorder? A phone? Other software?
Open the video you are trying to edit in the free download MediaInfo. In MediaInfo, set View to Text and then copy the text of this report and paste it to this forum.
With this detailed information we'll better be able to advise you how to proceed.
HP Envy with 2.9/4.4 ghz i7-10700 and 16 gig of RAM running Windows 11 Pro
MediaInfo: 2020 Premiere Video: General Complete name : C:\Users\Cooki\OneDrive\Documents\Adobe\Premiere Elements\18.0\SavoryOatsTrialwVoiceover.prel Format : GZip Format profile : deflate File size : 216 KiB
For one of the videos recorded on iphone and saved to PC: General Complete name : C:\Users\Cooki\OneDrive\Pictures\CalinaMedia\Oats\Videos\SavoryMorningLook.MOV Format : MPEG-4 Format profile : QuickTime Codec ID : qt 0000.00 (qt ) File size : 68.7 MiB Duration : 29 s 733 ms Overall bit rate mode : Variable Overall bit rate : 19.4 Mb/s Encoded date : UTC 2022-12-06 01:20:51 Tagged date : UTC 2022-12-06 01:21:02 Writing library : Apple QuickTime com.apple.quicktime.location.accuracy.ho : 4.726325 com.apple.quicktime.location.ISO6709 : +35.2070-078.8734+080.487/ com.apple.quicktime.make : Apple com.apple.quicktime.model : iPhone 13 com.apple.quicktime.software : 16.0 com.apple.quicktime.creationdate : 2022-11-28T06:40:31-0500 com.apple.photos.originating.signature : AZ0qmTeNAWk9hqI8ZW6RaaZjzWkO
Video ID : 1 Format : AVC Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec Format profile : High@L4 Format settings : CABAC / 2 Ref Frames Format settings, CABAC : Yes Format settings, Reference frames : 2 frames Codec ID : avc1 Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding Duration : 29 s 733 ms Bit rate : 18.2 Mb/s Width : 1 920 pixels Height : 1 080 pixels Display aspect ratio : 16:9 Rotation : 90° Frame rate mode : Constant Frame rate : 30.000 FPS Color space : YUV Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0 Bit depth : 8 bits Scan type : Progressive Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.292 Stream size : 64.4 MiB (94%) Title : Core Media Video Encoded date : UTC 2022-12-06 01:20:51 Tagged date : UTC 2022-12-06 01:21:02 Color range : Limited Color primaries : BT.709 Transfer characteristics : BT.709 Matrix coefficients : BT.709 Codec configuration box : avcC
Audio ID : 2 Format : AAC LC Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity Codec ID : mp4a-40-2 Duration : 29 s 733 ms Source duration : 29 s 791 ms Bit rate mode : Variable Bit rate : 177 kb/s Channel(s) : 2 channels Channel layout : L R Sampling rate : 44.1 kHz Frame rate : 43.066 FPS (1024 SPF) Compression mode : Lossy Stream size : 643 KiB (1%) Source stream size : 643 KiB (1%) Title : Core Media Audio Encoded date : UTC 2022-12-06 01:20:51 Tagged date : UTC 2022-12-06 01:21:02
Other #1 Type : meta Duration : 29 s 733 ms
Other #2 Type : meta Duration : 29 s 733 ms
Other #3 Type : meta Duration : 29 s 733 ms
Thanks for your attention to this. Looking forward to theresponses. Tina *Future YouTuber if I can just figure out quality video uploads!!!
I'm glad you mentioned that you are working with version 2020. You had posted your original question to our 2023 forum, and there is a big difference between the two versions!
That said, it's immediately clear what your issue is. Your project settings are for a 1280x720 video while your video is 1920x1080. In most cases the program will automatically match your project settings to the first video you add to your timeline, but it sometimes has trouble identifying the specs of MOV files. You also have the file rotated 90 degrees, which can affect its quality. Why is the file rotated?
That said, start a new project in version 2020. On the New Project panel, manually select the settings for a 1920x1080 30p file (under the AVCHD set of options). Then add your video to this timeline and see if you get better results. Ideally you should NOT see an orange line along top of the timeline when you add your video.
(I know you also mentioned version 2023, but let's focus on this issue first.)
HP Envy with 2.9/4.4 ghz i7-10700 and 16 gig of RAM running Windows 11 Pro
I used Premiere 2020 version and started a new project. I checked the video I was going to use in MediaInfo and the video specs, video W: 1920 pixels, H 1080 pixels, 30 frame rate. Rotation is 90 degrees. Guess I don't know why or how it is 90 degrees?? In Premiere, on the New Project panel, under the AVCHD set of options, I manually selected the setting for Full HD 1080i 30 (Video Settings are frame size: 1920h 1080v (1.0000); frame rate 29.97 f/s)). Then I added media and dragged into Expert, Video 1 area which still brought up an orange line at the top of the timeline. I also restarted and with the new project selected "Force selected Project Setting on this project". But both have orange lines. I checked the The Edit, Project Settings information displayed and it is Frame Size: 1280 horizontal 720 vertical (which I can't click & edit even though it looked like I could last time; it is definitely in gray boxes). Is there a different place that I could change these settings for the Project Settings General Video frame size to update?
I tried to change settings on the iphone also - record video settings 720p HD at 30 fps and 1080p HD at 30 fps, but both ways when uploaded and the Premiere 2020 version new project as above -- still get the orange bar. Thank you for any feedback and assistance.
I'm not sure why your project settings are coming out at 1280x720. Are they like that BEFORE you add your video to your timeline? In other words, does adding this video to your timeline change the project to a 1280x720?
HP Envy with 2.9/4.4 ghz i7-10700 and 16 gig of RAM running Windows 11 Pro
Again, thanks for troubleshooting with me. When I open Premiere 2020 and look at Project Settings, general is set at 1920x1080. Then I add media from files and folders which are stored in Project Assets. At this point, Project Settings are still 1920 x 1080. However, the project settings change to 1280 x 720 once videos are added to the timeline.
It must be something related to how that video was generated -- which is also why it's showing up at rotated 90 degrees.
I'd recommend you run the video through Handbrake, using the settings in my tutorial. It will then produce a 1920x1080 that should edit at full quality with no change in your project settings.
HP Envy with 2.9/4.4 ghz i7-10700 and 16 gig of RAM running Windows 11 Pro